Passing the pavement test

Following the flattest route possible

Today's run (street): 3.1 miles

If my orthopedist correctly diagnosed me as having a herniated disc, I must be having a remarkable recovery. Based on what he told me, I should be having a lot more pain when running. That's not the case and I'm thinking of getting a second opinion. I'm still waiting to meet with this guy to go over the results of my MRI. It's taking a lot longer than promised, because he's canceled my last two appointments. This is the place that canceled my original appointment but didn't let me know until I showed up for it. I've just about had it with this office.

I've been using our elliptical machine at home and have also been testing hybrid running units at a different location. These no-impact workouts have helped me maintain some fitness without aggravating my disc problem. I'd felt incremental improvement in terms of pain prior to my run last Saturday, only to have it return in a big way during that run. Yesterday's one mile treadmill session was a test to see whether the pain was still present while running. I ran slowly and my gait felt awkward, but the stabbing pain from last week was gone.

There's a big difference between running on a level treadmill and hard pavement. I had hopes for a painless outdoor run, but feared it was too soon to expect much improvement. The temperature was only in the high 30's when I headed outside. I dressed accordingly and felt comfortable with the gear I'd chosen. Once my Garmin showed ready, I was off.

I wore the Kayanos rather than the Saucony Triumph ISOs this morning. The Triumphs made my feet feel squished at the front during last Saturday's run. The Kayanos did the same thing today. It's clearly related to my current stride and foot strike. Although I've continued to work out despite these running problems, ellipticals don't provide the same level of intensity as a treadmill. Due to that, I'm feeling some conditioning gaps when I run.

I started today's run along my usual route. The first left off my street goes about a quarter mile up a 2% grade. It's enough to notice, but usually not an issue for me. Today it felt like I was running up James Street during the Great Cow Harbor 10K. If you're not familiar with Widow Hill, it's the stuff of nightmares. For me anyway.

There was no real pain during the run, but my stride didn't feel very natural. I ran slowly to avoid triggering a problem. My plan was to do my distance and then evaluate both my fitness and my readiness for increasing mileage and pace. For a three mile run, it felt like a lot of work, but I'm very pleased that the soreness hasn't returned.

I'm going to add 10% more distance tomorrow and I'm thinking about going to the track to take advantage of that soft, flat surface. Someday, I'd like to go there to run intervals. Tomorrow my hope is to do a little more and hurt a little less.